Adventure in Dominican Republic

GOLF
Renowned for having the most magnificent golf courses in the Caribbean region, and Latin America, the Dominican Republic is the undisputed leader of golf in the tropics. At least seven of the DR’s courses have consistently topped Golf Week Magazine’s Top 50 courses in the Caribbean and Mexico, including Punta Espada in the top 10, Los Corales—where the 2018 PGA Tour will be held in the Dominican Republic—and Teeth of the Dog, at Casa de Campo, in the number one spot since 2009. From La Romana to Punta Cana, Juan Dolio, and Puerto Plata, the DR’s courses, counting 86 sea-facing holes and 39 ocean-side, offer you tee time by the sea, or along lush inland courses designed by the most acclaimed golf course architects, including Pete Dye, Jack Nicklaus, Robert Trent Jones Sr., Gary Player, Tom Fazio, Nick Price, and Greg Norman.

Whether champion or hobby player, you’ll enjoy trying your hand at our spectacular courses.

SURFING + KITESURFING
A top Caribbean destination for wind sports, the DR is ground zero for surfing, kitesurfing, and windsurfing. Whether novice or expert, there’s a Dominican coastline ideal for your preferred activity. Cabarete’s steady trade winds have earned the beach town its professional kitesurfing reputation, active with certified schools and instructors. Daytime surfing is followed by nightly entertainment to soothe the muscles. Kite Beach attracts the experts, who are a joy to watch. Surfers of all levels flock to Playa Encuentro for lessons from award winning surf instructors. On the Samaná Peninsula, Las Terrenas offers its fair share of kitesurfing at Punta Popy, and surfing at Playa Bonita. In Punta Cana, Macao is renowned for surfing, while Playa Blanca attracts kitesurfers.

Wherever you end up on our Atlantic shoreline or in the Caribbean Sea, you’ll enjoy our year-round Dominican winds and waves.

SCUBA DIVING + SNORKELING
In addition to discovering exceptional beaches along the DR’s thousand-mile long coastline, you’ll soon realize that the DR’s underwater world—a handful of which is protected as a national park—is equally fascinating, revealing features such as coral reefs, caves, remains of galleons, shipwrecks, and a world of multicolored marine life. Explore 40-meter (131-foot) wall dives off the islands of Catalina and Saona, spot turtles and eagle rays off the remote Playa Frontón in Las Galeras, or snorkel amid colorful fish at Cayo Arena. Whether south, east, or north, PADI-certified dive and snorkel shops know the best underwater adventures.

While you can dip in our waters year round, the best time to dive is between June and September, when the waters are calm and offer good visibility—optimal conditions for immersion. Year-round sea temperatures range between 24°C to 29°C (75°F and 84°F), allowing diving even in the middle of the North American “winter,” when temperatures hover around 25°C (77°F).

ZIP LINES
Gushing rivers, high altitudes, and tropical rainforests overlooking coastlines: ziplining takes on new meaning in the DR. At Samaná you’ll find the longest run in the country, with an integrated brake system—you can glide in pairs and flip upside-down at 122 meters (400 feet) above the verdant hills of El Valle. The beach is less than ten minutes away when you’re ready to cool down. Ziplining is all the rage in the hilly Puerto Plata province, from Megatrucks’ two-mile course on a private ranch, to the off-the-beaten track Yasica Adventures’ 10-platform run. Punta Cana’s adventure parks are no less adventurous—brace the longest zipline in that area at Scape Park, and take a dip in the fresh water blue hole afterwards.

Wherever you choose to stay, ziplining is a great way to take in a panoramic view of the DR’s splendid landscape.

FISHING
Recognized fishing destinations in the DR include Bayahíbe, a village founded by fishermen in the 19th century, as well as Punta Cana, Puerto Plata, and Samaná, all of which offer sports fishing with the possibility of hooking marlin, barracuda, and dorado or mahi mahi, among others. Freshwater river fishing is popular in La Romana, and in Río San Juan, to catch snooker or wahoo. Reef trolling and deep sea fishing opportunities abound along the reefs of Cabarete and Sosúa.

Fishing tournaments are popular in the Punta Cana, La Romana and Bayahíbe areas, when it gets lively with beachside music, and plenty of fresh catch cooked on site. A great way to experience traditional fishing is to find the fishing cooperative in your chosen destination, and learn from the best.

HIKING
Being the second largest territory in the Caribbean, and the most diverse in topography, means a plethora of hiking opportunities. Our national parks offer the perfect setting to start. Hike the Cotubanamá National Park, and hear the history of the Tainos as you pass along their caves. Explore Los Haitises National Park on land, a rarely visited part of this natural gem. For more challenge, Jarabacoa is home to the roof of the DR and of the Caribbean region: 3,087-meter (10,128-ft) high Pico Duarte. Overnight expeditions lead to the peak at sunrise. Constanza offers a surprising side of the country few get to see, with breathtaking hikes through Valle Nuevo’s protected pine tree forests. Puerto Plata and Cabarete’s hills also offer plenty of organized hiking opportunities, through national parks, private ranches, and small villages such as Tubagua.

Hiking knows no season, although summer rains can make trails muddier but more adventurous.

INLAND SAFARIS
From Puerto Plata to Punta Cana, hopping on an inland safari is a great way to get a feel for the Dominican countryside. Major tour operators offer a variety of excursions into the nearest villages and towns, where you’ll be the only tourists, as you ride deep into the hills on all-terrain trucks, or drive in your own ATV or quad, taking in the scenery and meeting our locals along the way. In Puerto Plata, excursions take you along the north coast’s lush hills and into traditional homes where you’ll sip on freshly chopped coconut to cool off. In Punta Cana, safaris ride through towns like Otra Banda, where meat shops hang their produce outdoors, and end with sun and sand at Macao Beach.

Inland safaris, available from most tourist hubs, reveal the DR beyond the beach.

CAVING
The Dominican Republic’s first inhabitants left behind signs of their presence in numerous underground caverns found across the country, where they once took refuge or performed rituals. Today, hiking into these mysterious chambers, marked with petroglyphs and pictographs, is a thrilling experience. From easy entry to Indiana Jones-style expeditions, there’s a cave to suit everyone. Southeast, Cotubanamá National Park reveals caves punctuated with emerald freshwater lagoons. Just outside of Santo Domingo, Los Tres Ojos National Park is an easy walk into one of the largest underground caverns in the country, linked by a series of lagoons. Near La Romana, Cueva de Las Maravillas reveals hundreds of pictographs. Scape Park, in Cap Cana, takes you into the tunnels of Iguabonita Cave, with its impressive limestone formations. Los Haitises National Park is home to caves that are reached by boat, and boast a high number of pictographs. The most challenging and adventurous of all is Cueva Fun Fun, as the name suggests, not least because you’ll have no option but to rappel into its entrance. The least visited, yet most impressive caves are in the southwest, including El Pomier, and Las Caritas de los Indios.

There’s a cave to match every age and fitness level.

CANYONING + RAPPELLING
Rugged rainforests, hidden waterfalls, rocky hills covered in vegetation: you’re never far from a canyoning or rappelling experience in the DR. In fact, both are often combined for an adrenaline-packed adventure that will make you appreciate the grandeur of the DR’s landscape. Head to Puerto Plata, adventure capital of the country, where expert outfitters will take you into a river valley with 46meter (150 feet) rappelling and 18-meter (60-feet) jumps into crystal waters. In Jarabacoa, the scenery gets even more rugged as you go through the canyons of the Baiguate Falls.

Canyoning and rappelling adventures in these north and central regions are accessible from all beach towns, and available year round thanks to our moderate climate at these altitudes.

MOUNTAIN BIKING
Hilly towns, mountainous villages, and protected parks provide ample opportunity for mountain biking. In Cabarete, adventure outfitters can take riders on multiple trails of varying difficulty inside El Choco National Park, including an intense 50-meter (31-mile) endurance challenge. The central mountainous region’s winding, traffic-free roads line plantations–from Jarabacoa to Constanza–and are ideal to explore on mountain bike, with rivers and waterfalls for cooling off along the way. Bayahíbe’s Cotubanamá National Park, ideally close to the town’s white sand beaches, is as mystical as it gets, with paths leading towards spring water-filled caves.

Mountain bikes, with essential protective gear, are available year-round in the major resort towns, or through adventure tour operators.

HORSEBACK RIDING
Hilly towns, mountainous villages, and protected parks provide ample opportunity for mountain biking. In Cabarete, adventure outfitters can take riders on multiple trails of varying difficulty inside El Choco National Park, including an intense 50-meter (31-mile) endurance challenge. The central mountainous region’s winding, traffic-free roads line plantations–from Jarabacoa to Constanza–and are ideal to explore on mountain bike, with rivers and waterfalls for cooling off along the way. Bayahíbe’s Cotubanamá National Park, ideally close to the town’s white sand beaches, is as mystical as it gets, with paths leading towards spring water-filled caves.

Mountain bikes, with essential protective gear, are available year-round in the major resort towns, or through adventure tour operators.

PARAGLIDING
The Dominican Republic is blessed with the Caribbean’s highest mountain ranges, tucked in the heart of the country, where you’ll find the lushest landscapes and coolest temperatures. Hiking is a great way to explore these areas, but paragliding above the DR’s mountainous towns—Jarabacoa and Constanza—gives an unparalleled, magical viewpoint, with a Caribbean landscape you will only see in the DR. Certified paragliding instructors drive you to the lift-off point, where you’ll strap up into a harness in tandem with your guide, and safely step off into the open sky together. Fly over peaks, gushing waterfalls—Jarabacoa’s were once the site of Hollywood movies like Jurassic Park—verdant villages, and plantation fields. You’ll never see the DR the same way again.

Paragliding is available year-round, but the best time for a session is close to sunset, when the air is cooler and the spectacular scenery glows all around.

RAFTING
There aren’t many places to experience real river rafting in the Caribbean. But in the Dominican Republic, our high altitude mountain towns are blessed with fresh water rivers flowing down with sufficient force from high summits. A river rafting excursion along the Yaque del Norte—the longest river in the Caribbean—departing from Jarabacoa, is an unforgettable experience to be added to your bucket list of adventures around the country.

While available year round, rafting is best done during the summer months, when the water levels are sufficiently high for an authentic experience.